Automobile body inside panel fastener



Oct. 10, 1933 Y* E. GfKRr-:NTLER v 1,929,590

4 AUT@MOBILE` BODY INSIDE PANEL FASTENEB Filed May s1 1932 ATTORNEYS Fatented @et im, QBS

Y?. rasata@ ;v v annonceur. noirs insa nanna e passanten A Edwin-@Kroatien Detroit, Mich. 'Mexicanen may eig/rasa s ne. 614,46@ s cna. (ci, as me This invention relates to'Y ,a method of and means for attaching panels or similar sheets or sections to a framing or other support, and more particularly tol means for securing the inside covering or nish of motor vehicle bodies to the body panel and then those fasteners engaged within y thereto; and y openings in the body frame or other support to which the panel is to be applied. Itis also anchject to provide fasteners for the purpose which are very simple and cheap to manufacture and the construction of which is such as to provide for a limited adjustment of .thefpanel in securing it in place. A further object is to provide certain other new and useful features, all as hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out, reference being had to the accompanying drawing Ain which; i

Figure 1 is a perspective detail of a portion of the forward endA` of a motor vehicle body showing a door thereof in open position anda' corner of a,A panel on the door, broken away to disclose the construction;

Fig. 2 is an inside elevation of the lower portion of a body door, showing a panel in place thereon;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the back side of a panel Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of a portion of a panel, showing ,in perspective a fastener applied Fig. 6 vis a perspective` view :of a fastener detached. f

As illustrated, the'invention is shown as applied to securing the inside finishing panels of vehicle bodies to the body frame, but it will be under-v stoodvthat the invention may be applied to other uses wherever applicable. One such panel, indicated as a Whole by the numeral 1, is shown for convenience as applied to the lower partofthe frame 2 of a door of the car said panel comprising the usual sheet of fiber-board 3 which is'cut to a size and shape to t the place whereit is to -"be secured upon the frame and this sheetiis covered in the usual manner, by a Asheet of fabric or cloth 4 with the edges 5 of this cloth turned inwardly over the edges of the board 3 and firmlyl rattached thereto by connecting said 'edges 5 firmlydown upon the back faceof the board, ythis fabric beingr spaced from the opposite or frontiace of the board throughout its entire area, by a suitable padding 6 interposed between said fabricand the adjacent front facel of the board.

G0 Each complete panel l is attached to the body frame 2 or other suitable support for the paneling, by forming, as shown in Figs. l and d, said frame 2 with the desired number of holes 7 bored inwardly from the inner face of the frame, to which face the panel is to be secured.

vSliitable fasteners, indicated as a whole by the numeral 8, are attached to the board 3 adjacent its edges, in the manner hereinafter described, and these fasteners areeach formed with a spring prong tobe forced into one of thebores 7, and is soarranged that after being forced in, this prong loop 9'having a comparatively long lip l0 adapted to be inserted i a hole l1 formed in the board 3 adjacent the in er edge of the turned overzedge portion 5 of thefabric covering, therel being as many of these holes l1 as the number of fasteners'A to be employed to holdlthe panel lin place, and each of these holes l1 is preferably of considerably greater diameter, than the Width of the flat spring metal strip forming the fastenerso that the' lip 10 may be easilyinserted in the opening l1, and will be freely adjustable therein, said lip 10 being of considerably greater length than the diameter of the opening, so that it cannot be readily detached therefrom'by a movement of the panel away from the face of the frame, and so that said lip will yieldingly engage the face of the' board, the board and edge 5 of fabric thereon tov gether being slightly thicker than the width of 'the' loop 9 between its sides 10 and 12 to frictionally engage the'same and rxnly hold the fastener in place onthe panel and the panel against the frame 2." The length of the lips 10 of the several fasteners, permits however of limited adjustment of the panel upon, the frame, and obviates the -necessity for extreme accuracy in locating 'these the face of the board, and this side 12 of said loop is extended and-bent substantially at right angles f to form a spring-hook 13, the end of the .spring strip beingl bentr-iaterlly at an angle to said straight portion to form Van open hook 14 of a Width normally somewhat greater than the diameter of the bore 7 into which it is forced, said hook yielding as it is forced in, bringing the sharp angfes 15 at the end of the hook, into engagement with the Wall of the bore, so that when force is applied tending to Withdraw this hook from said bore, these sharp angular corners will dig into the Wood and prevent such withdrawal.

In applying the panel 1, said panel is first made up complete with the fabric covering cemented to the board 3, the board being provided with the desired number of holes 11 adjacent its edges, the lips 10 of the fasteners 8 are then slipped into these openings to attach said fasteners to the panel which is then ready to be applied to the frame 2. The fasteners 8 are thus held approximately in position to enter their hooks 13 into the holes or bores '7 in the frame, and the panel may then be rmly attached to the framing by simply pressing these hooks into said bores, they being pressed in until the panel is rmly against the framing or other support, where it will be firmly held by the engagement of the sharp angles 15 of the hooks with the sides of the bores, thus preventing said hooks from being pulled out.

The securing of each panel to its support is thus facilitated and Without the use of tools, and the fasteners are covered and completely concealed by the panel. The Work of securing these panels inplace is thus expedited, and the form of the fasteners and the manner in which they are attached to the panel, permits of a limited adjustment of the panel and also of each fastener, so that extreme accuracy in placing the bores 7 in the framing, is not necessary, nor is great accuracy necessary in forming the panel with the holes 11 therein relative to the bores in the frame or other support or body to which the panels are to be attached. Further, the form ofthe loops 9 of the fasteners is such thatthese loops embrace the edge portion of the turned over edge of the fabric and assist in holding the fabric firmly to the board.

Obviously changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts, Within the scope of the appended claims, and such changes are contemplated.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a structure ofthe character described, the combination of a supporting structure having bores of extended length extending inwardly from a face thereof, a finishing panel comprising a fabadjacent turned over edge portion of said fabric and hold said fabric edge portion to the face of said board, said fasteners each also including a spring hook extending at an angle to said opposed sides of said loop, said hook being of open U-form with the free end thereof adapted to yield and lengage the wall of a bore in said support when said hook is pressed therein.

2. In a structure of the character described.

the combination of a finishing panel comprising a fabric coveredboard formed with a series of openings adjacent to its edges, a supporting frame vformed With a series of bores extending inwardly at right angles to the face of said frame to which said panel is to be attached, and a series of fasteners .each formed with an end portion to be adjustably engaged Within one of said openings in said board and each also formed with a spring '.hook extending laterally from said end portion with the open end of saidhook toward said portion and adapted to be forced endwise into one of said bores to be compressed within said bore and cause the angular corners of the free end of said hook to .dig into the wall of said bore wherever positioned within said bore by the forcing of said hook into said bore. l

3. In a structure of the character described, the combination o f a finishing member, a supporting member formedwith bores of extended length extending inwardly from the surface thereof to which said finishing member is to be applied, and

a plurality of fasteners adapted to be attached to said finishing member and each formed with a portion to extend laterally from the inner face of said finishing member to engagefwithin one of said bores, said portion being bent to form a spring arm with its free end extending toward said face, said arm being adapted to engage at its free end, the wall ofthe bore and secure said finishing member to said supporting member in the positon to which it is adjusted when said fasteners are forced into said bores.

EDWIN G. KRENTLER. 

